Italy’s biathlon icon Dorothea Wierer presented herself in top form at the start of the World Cup week in Annecy and ran to a strong third place in the sprint on Thursday. This really surprised her, especially since the 35-year-old is anything but healthy these days.
Dorothea Wierer impressively proved in the Annecy sprint that her strong start to the season in Östersund and Hochfilzen was no coincidence. The Italian achieved the seventh-best running time in the snow on Thursday and only needed 1:21 minutes for her two shooting sessions – only her teammate Lisa Vittozzi was faster there (1:17 minutes).
Wierer’s performance was all the more remarkable because, according to her own statements, she is actually not fit at all. Wierer revealed in the “Fondo Italia” interview after the race that she is currently taking anti-inflammatory medication for her back pain. “He [der Rücken] still hurts. Especially when I push on the last lap and have to give it my all, I notice that he limits me.”
Wierer’s start to the season surprised even her
Despite this limitation, the 35-year-old confirmed that she is still a force to be reckoned with in her final season. This surprises even her.
“I didn’t expect that I would get four top 10 finishes in the first six races. Especially not today because my legs felt heavy. But that’s understandable because it’s already our third week of racing. I’m surprised that I wasn’t bad on skis and have to say that it was a really good start,” she summarized.
“I already have less energy than in Östersund”
What Wierer also revealed: Even at 35, she hasn’t finished learning yet. “I now know what I have to focus on and what I was missing last year,” she said of a learning process.
“And I also know that I won’t always be focused. Every day is different, every race is different and I already have a little less energy than in Östersund. I hope that I can recover from that and then be back in shape in February and be able to finish strong in Antholz,” she said with a view to the end of her career, which will come to the Olympic Games on her doorstep.